Justine Lindsay Is the First-Ever Transgender NFL Cheerleader
metroweekly.comMarch 30 post on her Instagram. While the NFL doesn’t keep records of cheerleaders’ gender identity, Lindsay is believed to be the first transgender cheerleader in the league, and is certainly the first “out” one.“Cats Out the Bag you are looking at the newest member of the Carolina Panthers TopCats Cheerleader’s @topcats as the first Transgender female,” she wrote. “I would like to thank the beautiful and talented dancers who supported me along the way … This is a moment I will never forget and I cannot wait to show you all what this girl has to bring.
Thank you @topcats a dream come true.”Speaking to BuzzFeed News in an interview, Lindsay said she was “scared” to share the Instagram post due to fear of backlash, adding: “There’s just some things you can’t post.”Lindsay’s hesitation was understandable.
Throughout the years, transgender people have been vilified by segments of society, although in recent years, attacks have ramped up, in part due to a calculation by Republican lawmakers that discomfort and unfamiliarity with transgender people — as well as a general backlash against liberalism and so-called “woke” culture — can be a potent political wedge-issue in the upcoming November elections.
In the past two years, lawmakers in nearly 20 states have proposed or passed laws targeting transgender people’s ability to compete in sports, receive gender-affirming care, or live free from discrimination.But she ultimately shared the post, and does not regret doing so. “I’m happy because I was able to break down that door and tell people, ‘Hey, we are not just sexual beings.
